Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: August 12, 2026

Owner: Karl Haycock / The Unmanaged Self ("we", "us", "our")

Welcome to The Unmanaged Self. By accessing or using our website (www.theunmanagedself.com), requesting a free spatial audio sample, or engaging our professional audio engineering services, you agree to be bound by the following Terms and Conditions. Please read them carefully.

1. Services & Website Usage

The Unmanaged Self provides professional audio mixing, spatial sound design, vocal processing, custom music composition, and audio mastering services for meditation teachers, wellness creators, authors, podcasters, and media producers.

Our website is designed to showcase our portfolio, host client sample uploads, provide service rate cards, and process inquiries. You agree to use the site only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others.

2. Audio Engineering Rates & Minimums

Pay-As-You-Go Rates: Single-track orders are billed per finished minute based on the selected production tier (VO Cleanup, VO + Client Music, Podcast Production, Full Sound Design, or Custom Music).
5-Minute Flat Rate Minimum: To cover baseline technical setup, session configuration, processing, and mastering, a 5-minute flat-rate minimum applies to all single-track orders between 1 and 5 minutes in duration. Tracks 6 minutes and longer are billed strictly per finished minute.
Specialty Services: Audio restoration, vocal extraction, ASMR processing, and custom original music compositions are billed at their listed flat or minute rates as specified on our Rate Card.

3. All-Inclusive Monthly Audio Partnership ($300/mo)

Scope: The $300 USD/month partnership covers up to 60 finished minutes of completed audio production per billing cycle across any audio tier (including Full Spatial Sound Design, Custom Music, VO Cleanup, and Podcast Production) with no add-on fees.
Upfront Billing: Monthly plans are billed upfront at the beginning of each billing cycle.
Capacity & Rollover Policy: Monthly partnership minutes operate on a 'use-it-or-lose-it' basis per billing month. Reserved capacity does not roll over to subsequent months.
Overages: Any minutes required beyond the included 60 within a single billing cycle are billed at a flat, discounted rate of $5.00 per finished minute regardless of production tier.
Pausing or Cancellation: Partnerships can be paused or canceled anytime with at least 7 days' written notice prior to your next recurring billing date.

4. Raw Files, Stems & Audio Quality Limits

Source Audio Quality: Standard pricing assumes clean, isolated vocal stems. While advanced noise cleanup and spectral repair are applied to maximize quality, the final output relies heavily on the source recording. Distorted, low-bitrate, or heavily reverberant raw audio may limit the final fidelity achievable.
Client Asset Authorization & Copyright: Clients warrant that all voice, music, and audio assets provided to The Unmanaged Self are fully licensed or owned by the client. The client assumes full legal responsibility and liability for copyright clearance of all supplied material.

5. Revisions & Delivery

Included Revisions: Single-track orders include up to 3 rounds of written revision requests (1–5 minute flat-rate tracks include up to 2 rounds). Revisions must be requested within 14 days of receiving draft previews. Further revisions or creative re-directions beyond the initial brief are quoted separately.
Turnaround Windows: Standard delivery windows (including 48-hour priority turnarounds for monthly partners) begin once all final raw audio stems, assets, and project briefs have been fully received.

6. Deliverables, Stems & Intellectual Property

Client Ownership: The client retains 100% full rights and copyright to finished, fully paid master audio tracks upon receipt of final payment.
Deliverable Formats: Deliverables consist of finished mixed and mastered WAV and MP3 files delivered via Google Drive.
Raw Stems & Session Files: Unmixed raw stems, DAW session files (e.g., Ableton or Logic project files), and proprietary sound design libraries remain the sole intellectual property of The Unmanaged Self unless explicitly purchased under a separate stem license agreement.
Link Expiration & Archiving: Delivered Google Drive links remain active for 14 days following final payment. Unarchiving or re-uploading expired links after 14 days is subject to a $25.00 file retrieval fee (waived for active monthly partners).

7. Payment Terms

Single Tracks: A 25% non-refundable deposit is required prior to project start. The remaining 75% balance is due prior to the release of final, un-watermarked master files.
Payment Methods: All payments and invoices are processed securely via Wise, Stripe, or PayPal.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Unmanaged Self and Karl Haycock shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from the use of our website, service delays due to incomplete asset submissions, or platform-specific distribution decisions (e.g., InsightTimer, Spotify, or Apple podcasts publishing policies).

9. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be published on this page with an updated "Effective Date." Continued use of our website or services constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact:

Karl Haycock

The Unmanaged Self

Website: www.theunmanagedself.com

Email: karl@theunmanagedself.com